It is known in the art to use drains such as Wickdrains to help drain water from soils. Such drains also increase soil strength in clay by increasing friction of slip planes and causing a reduction in the softening and lubrication of slip panels. Such drains comprise a corrugated plastic core with a geotextile sleeve. They are usually pushed vertically into the ground, up to a distance of 20 m to 30 m, typically to accelerate consolidation settlement on highways projects.
It is also known in the art to use a ground anchor attached to a cable to secure cables in ground. The ground anchor is driven into the ground using a rod and then tilted into a locked position by tensioning the cable. Examples of such ground anchors are known from WO 95/12712 and WO95/12713. Such ground anchors have specific features which enable the anchors to be driven into the ground easily, and tilted transversely of the hole such that their withdrawal from the ground is then resisted.